Will They Stay or Will They Go?

The big election is only a week away, though many of you have probably already voted. If you’re still trying to make up your mind whether or not to succumb to blackmail, I urge you to read this article from Strong Towns.

While it’s kind of a long article, it is certainly worth the read. I’ll just point out a couple of items:

The current stadium is “consistently listed among the top ten most beautiful, most fan-friendly parks”.

The cost of the 2006 renovations was $250 million and we, the taxpayers, picked up $225 million of that tab. John Shermans’ net worth has been reported to be between $1 to $1.5 billion.

If you decide the article is too long for the time you have to read yet more about a downtown stadium, at least consider these two quotes:

Research from groups across the political spectrum have shown that the promised economic benefits generally don’t materialize, especially when a stadium is only going to be used periodically.

…

If building a new stadium is going to generate a profit, the teams can pay for it themselves. I can only assume the reason they don’t want to pick up the full bill is because new stadiums often aren’t a great investment.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/9/28/should-kansas-city-taxpayers-foot-the-bill-for-a-new-downtown-stadium

You might also find it fun to recall that the mayor said in 2019 “We need a new downtown baseball stadium like I need a new Maserati. It’d be cool to have, but I don’t have the money.”